A processor that uses classical Harvard architecture for main memory has which…
2017
A processor that uses classical Harvard architecture for main memory has which of the following characteristics?
(i) distinct address spaces for accessing the program memory and data memory, (ii) distinct control signals for accessing the program memory and data memory, (iii) distinct processor instructions for accessing the program memory and data memory. (iv) distinct data paths for the bytes for data and for the program, (v) helps easier handling of streams of data that are required to be accessed in cases of single instruction multiple data type instructions and DSP instructions.
Answer: A. all correct — ConceptClassical Harvard architecture keeps program memory and data memory as disjoint address spaces with independent access pathways. This lets the…
- A.
all correct
- B.
i, iii, iv and v
- C.
i, ii, iv
- D.
i, iii and iv
Attempted by 166 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
Classical Harvard architecture keeps program memory and data memory as disjoint address spaces with independent access pathways. This lets the processor fetch an instruction while transferring data, instead of serialising both operations over one memory channel.
The separation appears at several layers: address selection, control signalling, program-versus-data access operations, physical transfer paths, and the resulting throughput available to streaming workloads.
Application
(i) Separate namespaces let the same numeric address identify one program location and a different data location.
(ii) Independent memory interfaces require their own control signalling so instruction fetches and data reads or writes can be coordinated concurrently.
(iii) Program space and data space use distinct access operations: instruction fetch targets program memory, ordinary load/store targets data memory, and program-memory constants are reached through a dedicated program-memory access instruction or mechanism.
(iv) Independent buses provide distinct physical paths for instruction words and data bytes.
(v) Because those paths operate together, DSP and SIMD-style workloads can keep instruction and data streams moving without a single shared-bus bottleneck.
Cross-check and result
A von Neumann design has one shared memory space and path, so instruction fetch and data transfer contend for it. The classical Harvard design removes that contention through every separation described in (i)–(iv), producing the streaming advantage in (v). Therefore all five statements are included, and the result is “all correct”.